[HPforGrownups] Morality and Harry Potter

[Bart Lidofsky]

No: HPFGUIDX 191828

On 2/25/2012 8:59 AM, Steve wrote:
> Morality is doing what is right regardless of what you are told.
>
> (Law) is doing what you are told regardless of what is right.
>

Bart:
     Of course, one must realize that Western culture stems from a 
combination of Judeo-Christian philosophy (as opposed to theology) and 
Greco-Roman philosophy. They are often in agreement, but there are 
conflicts, particularly in the two sentences above (note that there is a 
similar conflict in Confucian vs. Taoist philosophies in China).

     The question arrives as to whether or not Harry makes the right 
choices. Psychologically, he has a "hero complex", where he feels that 
he must step in, and that he is the only one who can. Outside of this, 
he frequently makes wrong choices (notably  in OOP, but also in POA). 
His fear of not being the hero frequently keeps him from giving the 
adults around him the information they would need to do the right thing, 
creating the situation where only Harry can fix it (to Harry's credit, 
it is clear that he is steered into a lot of that by DD's scheming).

     It's easy to make a moral choice when it works in your favor. Harry 
does make a number of difficult moral choices (such as agreeing to take 
on the responsibility of the DA). Perhaps the most difficult choice he 
makes, opening himself up to sacrifice in DH, is not made due to 
morality, but due to faith in DD.

     But most of Harry's choices consist of whatever feels good to him; 
if it happens to be in the direction of morality, so much the better.

     Bart